Thin printing device for addressing machines



y 16, 1939- H. P. ELLIOTT THIN PRINTING DEVICE FOR ADDRESSING MACHINES Filed May 11, 1957 LLIIIIII II 111/ III 11/7775 /2 JOHN DOE/ SOUTHVI LLE I 71 verz ?0r,

WRM L1 all? Patented May 16, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Harmon P. Elliott, Water-town, Mass.

Application May 11,1937, Serial No. 141,982

Claims.

This invention relates to printing devices as plates and cards and particularly stencils adapted to bear addresses or other printing characters and intended for use in addressing machines.

5 Such printing devices are commonly provided with shiftable tabs adapted to operate selector mechanism to condition the machine for printing the addresses borne by devices which are selected in accordance with the position of the tab.

There is a well known type of printing device which consists of a thin paper card having the address printing characters cut therein, the device being used as a stencil. This type of stencil is so thin that it cannot readily receive a shiftable tab to control the selector mechanism of the addressing machine with which it is associated. At the same time it is desirable that such thin stencils be so arranged that when desired they can control the selector mechanism. The selector mechanism of an addressing machine adapted for use with the present invention the stencil in any desired location thereof so that it can be applied when desired and removed when not desired.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a selector control tab for a thin printing 5-device, said tab comprising a thin metal sheet having a backing of an adhesive that is permanently tacky so that it can be afllxed to the thin printing device in any desired location thereon and will remain attached to the printing device for as long as desired and can be detached when its presence is not required.

A further object of the invention is generally to improve the construction and extend the use of printing devices for addressing machines.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a thin printing device of stencil embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail through the stencil track or guideway of an addressing machine and illustrating the stencil of Fig. 1 in position for cooperation with the selector mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a plan detail of the feeler pin strip of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a selector tab embodying the present invention, looking down upon the back or adhesive side of the tab.

' Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but with parts broken away to illustrate the construction more clearly. 5

The printing device embodying the present invention is herein illustrated as a stencil and comprises a card or frame Ill composed of thin paper or the like, the card being in the order of a hundredth of an inch thick more or less. The card 10 bears a suitable printing address l2 which is cut therein. The stencil card is adapted to be moved along the tracks ll of a guideway of an addressing machine in the usual manner and into and out of selector position and thence into and out 15 of an addressing position.

In accordance with the present invention the card is provided with selector control means or member comprising a tab l6. Said tab is thin, preferably thinner than the stencil card. It com- 2o prises a thin paper .body sheet l8, see Figs. 5 and 6, having on the obverse face thereof a thin sheet or film 20 of electrically conducting material, as

,metol foil, so thin it is not inherently self-supporting to the selector-pin pressure and is sup- 25 ported by the sheet i8 and the underlying stencil. 0n the reverse face of the body i8 is a thin layer 22 of some preferably permanently tacky or non hardening adhesive as, for instance, a rubber latex adhesive. so

The tab it is adapted to be applied to the stencil III in any suitable position thereon and preferably in such position that it lies within the bounds of the stencil tracks I4 so that the thin metal coating 20 is not in contact with the track at; and hence is not liable to be worn or abraded. thereby.

The selector mechanism includes a reciprocable head 24. In accordance with this invention the head is provided with an insulating bar 40 26 that carries a pair of selector or feeler pins 28. Said feeler pins are or can be identical. Each feeler pin is slidably mounted in a housing 30 that is fixed as screw-threaded into the insulating bar 28 and upon a terminal connecter 32. 45 A coil spring 34 inside the housing bears upon the pin 28 and serves to maintain it normally in its lowermost position. Movement of the selector head 24 downwardly brings the two pins 28 into engagement with the metal facing 20 of so the tab I6 and hence completes an electric circuit that controls the operation of the selector mechanism of the addressing machine in the usual manner.

I claim: as

1. A printing device for addressing machines comprising a frame having means providing address-forming characters, and a selector-controlling member comprising an electrically-conducting metal film so thin that it is not inherently self supporting, said film being on and supported by and conformed to a face of said frame within the borders thereof.

2. A printing device for addressing machines comprising a frame having means providing address-forming characters; a selector-controlling member comprising an electrically-conducting metal film so thin that it is not inherently self supporting, said film being on and supported by and conformed to a face of said frame within the borders thereof, and means adhesively'securing said film removably to said frame.

3. A printing device for addressing machines comprising a. frame having means providing address-forming characters, a selector-controlling:

supporting, said film being on and supported by and conformed to a face of said frame within the borders thereof, and means adhesively securing said film removably to said frame comprising a permanently tacky adhesive.

4. A printing device for addressing machines comprising a frame having means providing address-forming characters, an electrically conducting metal selector-controlling member, and a permanently tacky adhesive mm on said member adhesively securing it removably to a face of said frame.

5. A printing device for addressing machines comprising a frame having means providing address-forming characters, and a selector-controlling member comprising a thin electrically-insulating supporting sheet on a face of and adhesively aflixed to said frame, and an electricallyconducting metal fllm so thin that it is not inherently self-supporting disposed on one face of I and supported by said sheet.

HARMON P. ELLIOTT.- 

